The Burning

The Burning

1968 · 32 min · ★ 7.0 · Drama

Stephen Frears’ first film, "The Burning" is a chilling exploration of racial tensions in Apartheid-era South Africa. On a sweltering summer’ day, a wealthy white matriarch insists on taking her household on a planned trip to the country, in spite of their urgent warnings that an uprising is underway.

Directed by Stephen Frears · Written by Roland Starke

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Rent or Buy

Sooner

Cast

Make it a double feature

2h 31m together

The Burning

Dangerous Liaisons

Both from Stephen Frears.

More from Stephen FrearsSee all →

Going GentlyGoing Gently · 1981
Going Gently
★ 7.51981
MovieDramaTV Movie
Play about two elderly cancer patients suffering in hospital.
The Comic Strip Presents...The Comic Strip Presents... · 1982
The Comic Strip Presents...
★ 7.41982
SeriesComedy
The Comic Strip is a group of British comedians, who do parodies of films, literature and sometimes major events.
The Loudest VoiceThe Loudest Voice · 2019
The Loudest Voice
★ 7.42019
SeriesWar & PoliticsDrama
The rise and fall of Fox News founder Roger Ailes, focusing primarily on the past decade in which Ailes arguably became the Republican Party’s de facto leader, while flashing back to defining events in his life.
PhilomenaPhilomena · 2013
Philomena
★ 7.32013
MovieDrama
A woman searches for her adult son, who was taken away from her decades ago when she was forced to live in a convent.
Dangerous LiaisonsDangerous Liaisons · 1988
Dangerous Liaisons
★ 7.21988
MovieDramaRomance
In 18th century France, Marquise de Merteuil asks her ex-lover Vicomte de Valmont to seduce the future wife of another ex-lover of hers in return for one last night with her. Yet things don’t go as planned.
OmnibusOmnibus · 1967
Omnibus
★ 7.21967
SeriesDocumentary
Omnibus was an arts-based BBC television documentary series, broadcast mainly on BBC1 in the United Kingdom. The programme was the successor to the long-running arts-based series 'Monitor'. It ran from 1967 until 2003, usually being transmitted on Sunday evenings. During its 35-year history, the programme won 12 Bafta awards. Among the series' best remembered documentaries are Cracked Actor, a profile of David Bowie, and Rene Magritte, a graduate film by David Wheatley, 'Madonna: Behind the American dream', a film produced by Nadia Hagger, and a profile of the British film director Ridley Scott. For a season in 1982, the series was in a magazine format presented by Barry Norman. The series was replaced by 'Imagine' hosted by Alan Yentob.
Brian and MaggieBrian and Maggie · 2025
Brian and Maggie
★ 7.22025
SeriesDramaWar & Politics
A dramatization of the story behind and occasion of Thatcher’s last TV interview, the hugely damaging ITV grilling by her old friend Brian Walden, which some view as the final nail in her prime ministerial coffin.
High FidelityHigh Fidelity · 2000
High Fidelity
★ 7.12000
MovieDramaComedy
After his long-time girlfriend dumps him, a thirty-year-old record store owner seeks to understand why he is unlucky in love while recounting his "top five breakups of all time".
Screen TwoScreen Two · 1985
Screen Two
★ 7.11985
SeriesDrama
Series of single made-for-television dramas.
A Very English ScandalA Very English Scandal · 2018
A Very English Scandal
★ 7.12018
SeriesDrama
It's the late 1960s, homosexuality has only just been legalised and Jeremy Thorpe, the leader of the Liberal party, has a secret he's desperate to hide.
ITV PlayhouseITV Playhouse · 1967
ITV Playhouse
★ 7.01967
SeriesDrama
ITV Playhouse is a British comedy-drama TV series that ran from 1967 to 1983, which featured contributions from playwrights such as Dennis Potter, Rhys Adrian and Alan Sharp. The series began in black and white, but was later shot in colour and was produced by various companies for the ITV network, a format that would inspire Dramarama. Actors appearing in the series included Leslie Anderson, Gwen Nelson, Ricky Alleyne, Pat Heywood, Michael Elphick, Ian Hendry, Edward Woodward, Margaret Lockwood, Jessie Matthews and Lloyd Peters.
PlayhousePlayhouse · 1974
Playhouse
★ 7.01974
SeriesDrama
A one-hour anthology television series of one-off contemporary and classic dramas produced by the BBC.
BBC2 Play of the WeekBBC2 Play of the Week · 1977
BBC2 Play of the Week
★ 7.01977
SeriesDramaComedy
An anthology of plays and novels adapted into feature length TV movies, broadcast on BBC2 from September 1977 to April 1979.
The QueenThe Queen · 2006
The Queen
★ 6.92006
MovieDramaHistory
The Queen is an intimate behind the scenes glimpse at the interaction between HM Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Tony Blair during their struggle, following the death of Diana, to reach a compromise between what was a private tragedy for the Royal family and the public's demand for an overt display of mourning.
Dirty Pretty ThingsDirty Pretty Things · 2002
Dirty Pretty Things
★ 6.92002
MovieCrimeDrama
An undocumented immigrant finds a human heart in one of the toilets of the west London hotel where he works with other undocumented immigrants.
Fail SafeFail Safe · 2000
Fail Safe
★ 6.92000
MovieDramaThriller
Cold War tensions climb to a fever pitch when a U.S. bomber is accidentally ordered to drop a nuclear warhead on Moscow.

More Like This

DisgraceDisgrace · 2008
Disgrace
★ 6.22008
MovieCrimeDrama
Disgrace is the story of a South African professor of English who loses everything: his reputation, his job, his peace of mind, his good looks, his dreams of artistic success, and finally even his ability to protect his cherished daughter. After having an affair with a student, he moves to the Eastern Cape, where he gets caught up in a mess of post-apartheid politics.
Cry FreedomCry Freedom · 1987
Cry Freedom
★ 7.01987
MovieDrama
A dramatic story, based on actual events, about the friendship between two men struggling against apartheid in South Africa in the 1970s. Donald Woods is a white liberal journalist in South Africa who begins to follow the activities of Stephen Biko, a courageous and outspoken black anti-apartheid activist.
HairsprayHairspray · 2007
Hairspray
★ 6.72007
MovieComedyRomance
Pleasantly plump teenager Tracy Turnblad auditions to be on Baltimore's most popular dance show - The Corny Collins Show - and lands a prime spot. Through her newfound fame, she becomes determined to help her friends and end the racial segregation that has been a staple of the show.
Remember the TitansRemember the Titans · 2000
Remember the Titans
★ 7.72000
MovieDrama
After leading his football team to 15 winning seasons, coach Bill Yoast is demoted and replaced by Herman Boone – tough, opinionated and as different from the beloved Yoast as he could be. The two men learn to overcome their differences and turn a group of hostile young men into champions.
In My CountryIn My Country · 2004
In My Country
★ 6.02004
MovieRomanceDrama
An American reporter and an Afrikaans poet meet and fall in love while covering South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings.
InvictusInvictus · 2009
Invictus
★ 7.22009
MovieDramaHistory
Newly elected President Nelson Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa's rugby union team as they make their historic run to the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship match.
The Power of OneThe Power of One · 1992
The Power of One
★ 7.41992
MovieDrama
PK, an English orphan terrorized for his family's political beliefs in Africa, turns to his only friend, a kindly world-wise prisoner, Geel Piet. Geel teaches him how to box with the motto “fight with your fists and lead with your heart”. As he grows to manhood, PK uses these words to take on the system and the injustices he sees around him - and finds that one person really can make a difference.
EndgameEndgame · 2009
Endgame
★ 5.92009
MovieCrimeDrama
The time is the late '80s, a crucial period in the history of South Africa. President P.W. Botha is hanging on to power by a thread as the African National Congress (ANC) takes up arms against apartheid and the country tumbles toward insurrection. A British mining concern is convinced that their interests would be better served in a stable South Africa and they quietly dispatch Michael Young, their head of public affairs, to open an unofficial dialogue between the bitter rivals. Assembling a reluctant yet brilliant team to pave the way to reconciliation by confronting obstacles that initially seem insurmountable, Young places his trust in ANC leader Thabo Mbeki and Afrikaner philosophy professor Willie Esterhuyse. It is their empathy that will ultimately serve as the catalyst for change by proving more powerful than the terrorist bombs that threaten to disrupt the peaceful dialogue.
Goodbye BafanaGoodbye Bafana · 2007
Goodbye Bafana
★ 6.92007
MovieHistoryDrama
The true story of a white South African racist whose life was profoundly altered by the black prisoner he guarded for twenty years. The prisoner's name was Nelson Mandela.
CrashCrash · 2005
Crash
★ 7.22005
MovieDrama
In post-Sept. 11 Los Angeles, tensions erupt when the lives of a Brentwood housewife, her district attorney husband, a Persian shopkeeper, two cops, a pair of carjackers and a Korean couple converge during a 36-hour period.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter